Red Dress Exhibit

Support: The Red Dress Exhibit and this webpage deals with topics which may impact visitors negatively. Lists of support contacts are included at the bottom of this post.

The Red Dress Exhibits are now closed. You can still view the exhibit by watching our Red Dress Exhibit Video.

Red dresses and other items of red clothing symbolize remembrance and demands for justice for thousands of family members searching for their loved ones. Owing to persistent colonial violence, including internationally condemned violations of Indigenous rights, Indigenous women and girls are 12 times more likely than other women in Canada to be murdered or go missing. It is estimated that there are at least 4,000 missing or murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit individuals in Canada. Violence against these groups is happening right now, which is one reason for including the Red Dress Exhibit as part of 16 Days of Action Against Gender-Based Violence.

The Calls for Justice included in Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls call on educational institutions, specifically, to educate and provide awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people, and about the issues and root causes of violence they experience. It further calls for education programs for Indigenous children and youth on the issue of grooming for exploitation and sexual exploitation. Centennial College is committed to meeting these calls, guided by its Indigenous Strategic Framework and informed by sustained and authentic work on truth, reconciliation and respect for Indigenous rights and sovereignty.

Thank you for helping us to respond to the Calls for Justice by visiting the Red Dress Exhibit and seeking to learn more.

Resources for Learning, Support and Safety

Education and Awareness

• The Red Dress Project
• MMIWG2S Library Guide
• Short Summary of MMIWG2S Final Report - Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre
• MMIWG2S Calls to Justice
• MMIWG2S Final Report Executive Summary
• Breaking Chains, Building Community – Paradigm Shift Project, international context of human and sex trafficking
• Unity Video – Grandmother’s Circle

Survivor Advocacy/Rights

• My Voice, My Choice – to amend criminal code to eliminate unwanted publication ban
• WomenatthecentrE – survivor-led org working to eradicate GBV through personal, political and social advocacy

Supports and Services

• Native Women’s Resource Centre Toronto
• Place for Reconciliation of All Our Relations
  • Email: eighthfire@centennialcollege.ca 
• Can You See Me? – Human trafficking survivor resources
• Aftercare Services -  counselling and cultural support services for survivors, family members and those affected by the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls available through Indigenous Services Canada

Student Supports

• Sexual Violence Support
• Amita Singh, Sexual Violence Support Coordinator
  • Phone: 416-289-5000 x 51949
  • Email: svsupport@centennialcollege.ca 

Staff Supports

• Emergency Helpline :416-439-4357
• Employee Assistance Program:1-844-671-3327
• Emergency Management and Public Safety - security@centennialcollege.ca  416-289-5240
• Labour Relations Investigations - investigations@centennialcollege.ca